To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 1:11 “. . . the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

One of the statements we hear in the face of the many tragedies that we seem to witness day in and day out in our world today is “You’re in my thoughts and prayers.”  It’s a nice sentiment, but one that it seems more and more people have begun to scoff at.  To the scoffers this statement seems like nothing more than an excuse to not do something concrete – like elect politicians that will enact stricter gun laws.  In other words, people need to do something, not just pray.  And because the “thoughts and prayers” phrase is used so much, perhaps when there’s nothing more one can say, some of that skepticism is warranted, for are people actually praying as much as they say they do?  And can prayer help a situation anyway?  Does it really matter if we pray? 

Of course, the Bible would tell us “Yes, it matters greatly,” as in the example from the verse above. Here Paul is encouraging the Corinthian church to pray for him in the face of the many perils he faced in ministry.  He knows that there are blessings to him that will result from “the prayers of many.”  He covets their prayers, and in these words, he is conveying not just to the Corinthians but to us as well that prayer matters greatly. 

But do we really believe him?  Do we truly believe that the “prayers of many” matter?  If we do, are we acting like it?  Are we today, like the early church, joining together as “many” to pray?  Does your church have a prayer meeting, and if so, do you attend?  If not, are you otherwise gathering with other believers for the sole purpose of prayer?  Are we so concerned about the needs of those around us that we take time from everything else in life to gather as one to pray for them? 

In Acts 12 we are told of an incident where the apostle Peter was being held in prison for preaching the gospel.  And then we are told this: “but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”  It was only then that Peter was miraculously released as the chains fell off his hands and the iron gate of the prison “opened of its own accord.” Upon his release we are told that “he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.”  And then we are told that they didn’t actually believe that Peter was there. They told the servant girl that she was out of her mind.  But the truth was that Peter had been released, for a great blessing had been granted to him, like the blessings bestowed on Paul by prayers of many that we read about in the passage above.

This makes me wonder how many blessings we’ve missed, how many awesome works of God we’ve not had the privilege to be a part of, simply because we have been negligent in this area of prayer.  Will we ever know what could have been if we had been more diligent in gathering with other believers to pray?  As we look about us and see people bound, perhaps not in physical prisons (although many surely are imprisoned for their faith around the world), but in prisons of sin that are crippling them with addictions, heartache, and pain, would it make a difference if we cared enough and loved enough to gather together on behalf of such people to pray?  Would God actually act if we prayed more?  Would we perhaps be shocked by the answers, just like those who prayed for Peter were shocked by Peter’s release in Acts 12? 

One of the things that the Bible is clear about is that God blesses obedience.  And one of the most prevalent commands throughout God’s Word is that we pray. He’s called us to pray without ceasing, to pray about everything, to pray for one another, to pray when it’s just us all alone where no one else sees, but also to gather together as a corporate body to pray. Jesus gave us His own example as He often went into the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray, and as he often went off for long periods of time alone with His heavenly Father to pray. 

Prayer: it’s one of the greatest privileges and most effective means that the believer has been given to bring blessings to those around us in need.  But do we do it?  Do we believe that God will actually answer us?  May God help us to pray so that we do not regret “what could have been” if only we had obeyed the God we say we love, and may He help us to obey despite those who scoff at the very notion of “thoughts and prayers” on behalf of others.